The Ming Dynasty did not revolutionize

Chapter 331: Rewards, Transfers and Prince Training

After a dozen princes left, Zhu Jianxuan called in Liu Anmin and Wang Gui from the Western Factory and brought the evidence they had collected of Shun State's rebellion.

Zhu Jianxuan actually knew about Shunguo's affairs a long time ago, and now he didn't feel any psychological fluctuations when looking at the whole situation.

Zhu Jianxuan briefly looked through the two people's summary reports on the spot, confirmed that the matter was a solid case, and began to inquire about some other internal situations in Shunguo.

After completing the investigation, Zhu Jianxuan simply asked the two to archive the files so that they would be useful next year.

After dealing with these matters, Zhu Jianxuan met with officials and generals who returned from Europe before the New Year and asked the Cabinet, the Privy Council, and the Ministry of Personnel to draft their rewards.

Officials and generals were promoted one level each. Senior generals who commanded an army independently and were responsible for a campaign on a front would be given additional titles.

Liu Biao and Zheng Ruian were conferred the title of Duke of a county, Yang Yuchun, Tian Yiming, Zhou Dahu and Nelson were conferred the title of Marquis of a county, and Cui Guodong (Cui Er) was conferred the title of Earl of a state.

In addition, Cao Zhendong, Li Anbang, Qin Nanxing and others who had already retired were given the title of Duke of the State, and Zhao Chengdong was given the title of Duke of the County.

The retired Grand Secretaries Duan Yucai, Yao Nai, Peng Yuanrui, Fei Chun, and Liu Quanzhi were conferred the title of County Duke.

Except for the dukes and county dukes who needed to be awarded separately by the emperor, the original titles of all other officials who participated in the wars in America and Europe were directly converted from American titles to Ming titles.

Since the Tiangong Year, Zhu Jianxuan began to integrate his own fiefdoms, and at the same time gradually merged the titles and official systems of the Ming Dynasty, Wu Kingdom, and the United States into the same system.

Now that the American campaign is over, Zhu Jianxuan took advantage of this opportunity to reward and complete the integration of the title system.

Now all titles are no longer the supreme honors they had been before Chongzhen.

The status of the Duke clearly corresponds to the first-rank official position, the military officer corresponds to the governor of the Metropolitan Government, and for the civil officials, there are currently only three additional dukes.

The title of Zhoubo corresponds to an official position of the third grade. The military officer is the commander of the main division, and the civil official is the provincial governor and the vice ministers of various ministries.

However, the annual salaries of most titles were much higher than before Chongzhen.

The actual function of the Ming Dynasty's nobility title is to give an additional annual pension to officials who have made contributions, worked hard and have seniority, in addition to their rank, position and salary.

Therefore, the threshold for conferring titles in the Ming Dynasty court under the rule of Zhu Jianxuan was relatively loose. As long as the civil and military generals had sufficient merits or qualifications, it was only a matter of time before they were conferred titles.

However, the rank is very strict, and so far no serving duke has ever been conferred the title, and the highest title has only been given to a few retired people.

The title is an additional reward for middle and upper-level officials, while the reward for middle and grassroots officials is to promote their rank and position.

All middle and grassroots officials who participated in the two major wars in America and Europe will have their current ranks directly upgraded by two levels, and those who participated in one of the wars will have their ranks upgraded by one level.

If the unit has made actual contributions and the officers themselves have performed outstandingly and demonstrated their abilities, their specific positions will be promoted.

All ordinary soldiers who participated in two wars received an additional two years of military pay as a bonus, and those who participated in one war received one year's pay.

Originally, Zhu Jianxuan subconsciously wanted to stipulate that for soldiers who had participated in the war for less than one year, the corresponding month's salary should be paid according to their actual participation in the war.

But if we give up after a little consideration, it will not only greatly increase the workload of the corresponding personnel, but more importantly, it may cause future soldiers to delay time on the battlefield.

It might be better to just change it so that anyone who participates will be given a year's military salary as a bonus.

The last one was a job transfer directly designated by Zhu Jianxuan.

Wang Tingzhen, the European Governor, came to Beijing and served as a Grand Secretary, and Shen Fu, the Shaoqing of the Honglu Temple who was originally in charge of European vassal state affairs, served as the acting European Governor.

Liu Biao and Zheng Ruian were given the title of deputy governor-general and went to Beijing to join the Privy Council as Privy Envoys.

Yang Yuchun served as the commander-in-chief of Europe, Nelson served as the commander-in-chief of America, and Tian Yiming served as the commander-in-chief of Africa.

Zhu Jianxuan instructed the Cabinet and the Privy Council to complete these tasks before the New Year, mainly to distribute the bonuses so that everyone can have a happier New Year.

Zhu Jianxuan also issued an additional order that starting from this year, the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month would be an official holiday until the 21st day of the first lunar month when the government would reopen.

On the first day of the first lunar month, which is New Year's Day every year, the New Year's court meeting attended by all officials is no longer held.

All officials did not receive any special requirements and were not required to attend Zhu Jianxuan's birthday court meeting.

The New Year's Court Assembly was changed to the Opening Court Assembly, which was held on the day when the government office opened, which was the 21st day of the first lunar month every year.

Officials from various ministries and government offices who are not from other places can return to their hometowns to visit their families during the Spring Festival.

In the past, transportation was inconvenient. If court officials in remote areas wanted to go home to visit their families, the round-trip travel time might take months, and they had to apply for special leave to visit their families.

The New Year holidays are not enough for them to go home.

Therefore, most officials would stay in the capital during the New Year period, and a ceremonial court meeting would be held on New Year's Day.

Now that the Ming Dynasty had railways, asphalt roads, trains, motor vehicles, airplanes, and steamships, officials in Jiangnan could return home within two days.

Most officials could return home the day before New Year's Day, spend the fifteenth day of the first lunar month at home, and then rush back to Shuntian Prefecture before the twenty-first day of the first lunar month.

So Zhu Jianxuan changed the typical way of taking holidays in his previous life.

It may seem against the rules not to hold a court meeting on New Year's Day, but now Zhu Jianxuan's words are the rules, and the key is that no one does not want to have more rest.

So it was no surprise that these orders were carried out smoothly.

In the New Year of the sixteenth year of Tiangong, the atmosphere in Shuntian Prefecture was a little quieter than in previous years, but everyone was in a happier mood.

On New Year's Day, a banquet was held in the Fengtian Hall as usual. Zhu Jianxuan and his family, as well as royal family members, nobles, and retired officials from the capital attended the banquet.

It was not until the 21st day of the first lunar month that Zhu Jianxuan, together with the external officials, held the New Year's court meeting and accepted the worship of all officials from various government offices.

The various government offices of the imperial court officially opened, and officials from various departments began to work despite being tired from the New Year.

Zhu Jianxuan met alone in the palace where he lived with his four sons, who were about to turn twenty years old this year. They were about to set off to serve in local areas for training.

Zhu Jianxuan personally selected a place for them and handed them the appointment letters personally.

The eldest prince's destination was the Northeast Niliuzha Town, which was a small town next to the dam that made the Songhua River flow backwards, built around the management and maintenance of the dam and reservoir.

The location is probably in the northeast of Harbin in Zhu Jianxuan’s previous life.

The second prince's destination was Lushunkou, Liaodong, the third prince's destination was Cao County, Shandong, and the fourth prince's destination was Jingdezhen, Jiangxi.

Zhu Jianxuan did not throw them into a particularly remote border area. The place where the brothers and sisters were undergoing trials was less than 1,500 kilometers away from the capital. The key point was that there were now direct railways and highways to the place.

Zhu Jianxuan asked the clan office and the imperial guards to allocate four servants and four guards to each prince, as well as four small passenger cars with extremely high defense levels.

Normally, each servant, a guard, and a coach would form a group following the prince to ensure that the prince would never be alone.

The guards were responsible for security alerts and emergency communications, while the servants were responsible for guiding and assisting the princes in their lives among the people.

The guards were all young soldiers between the ages of twenty-four, twenty-five and thirty.

The domestic servants are retired soldiers between the ages of 40 and 50, so they can also serve as guards when necessary.

When there is a special need, all guards and servants can also act together. The four princes said goodbye to their emperor father with expectation and trepidation, took their luggage and guards, and drove to their destinations.

The eldest prince and the second prince are going to the north, and the third prince and the fourth prince are going to the south. It seems that they can go together.

But the Lushunkou where the second prince wanted to go was actually in the south of Shuntian Prefecture. The normal route was to go to Tianjin, take a boat, and use a large ferry to carry cars and people to Lushunkou.

So the second prince's convoy also headed southeast after leaving the city.

There were only four small cars belonging to the eldest prince Zhu Jingkun. After leaving the city, they headed eastward, passed through the large industrial area of ​​Yongping Prefecture, and turned north out of Shanhaiguan.

The convoy also climbed the embankment of the North-to-South Water Diversion Canal here.

According to Zhu Jianxuan and Wang Lai's original plan, the river embankment could be used as the roadbed for high-standard railways and highways.

So while the riverbank was actually being built, railways and roads were also directly constructed, and most sections of these roads are now ready for use.

When the convoy passed through the Hexi Corridor and actually entered the Liaodong area, Zhu Jingkun followed the advice of his servant Xu Laosan and rested for a day in Jinzhou to adapt to the climate of Liaodong.

According to the rules set by Zhu Jianxuan himself, princes who were away for training were not allowed to meet with local senior officials without his permission.

The prince himself and the officials along the way received notices and reminders issued by the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Clan Affairs.

Zhu Jingkun lived in Jinzhou without worries, and local high-ranking officials did not come to bother him.

On the morning of the third day, Zhu Jingkun's convoy set out again and continued north along the road along the canal embankment.

Zhu Jingkun sat in the back seat of the bus, gazing through the window at the sparkling water in the distance, lost in thought as he stared into the seemingly endless distance.

Mainly because after leaving Shanhaiguan, Zhu Jingkun realized that he had left the Central Plains, and his destination seemed to have the worst conditions among his fellow disciples.

Although my fourth brother's destination might be farther than mine, he was going to the wealthy and stable Jiangxi region, while I was going outside the Great Wall.

After the convoy passed Yizhou Station, the mountains were no longer visible on the opposite side of the canal, and the canal rapidly widened.

The convoy continued to run on the river bank for a whole day. In the evening, it came to a place where the river bank made a sharp turn. The surface of the reservoir here was as far as the eye could see.

There is a thick layer of ice on the surface of the lake. It is impossible to see at a glance how large the ice is, so I don’t know whether the entire lake is completely frozen.

Although this place can be considered as the scope of the North-to-South Water Diversion Canal, it is actually a relatively large lake, which is the Chagan Lake in Zhu Jianxuan's previous life.

However, the area of ​​Chagan Lake is much larger than the one in Zhu Jianxuan's previous life. Its scale is at least thirty times larger, with a total area of ​​nearly 10,000 square kilometers.

Apart from the main channel of the middle and lower reaches of the Songhua River, the area around Chagan Lake is the lowest point in the central area of ​​the Northeast Plain.

Several important tributaries of the Songhua River converge here, surrounded by large areas of low-lying, wet and cold swamps and a large number of small lakes.

After Zhu Jianxuan blocked the lower reaches of the Songhua River, the water of the Songhua River continued to accumulate here, connecting a large number of swamps and small lakes.

If the river water is allowed to accumulate naturally, the area of ​​Chagan Lake will become larger.

It may have to reach 20,000 square kilometers before it breaks through the highest water diversion point of the Songhua River and Liaohe River in the south and turns to flow southward.

Wang Lai knew that Zhu Jianxuan didn't want the river water to flood most of the land, and he also wanted the river water to flow south as soon as possible.

Therefore, when planning and constructing the North-to-South Water Diversion Project, several river embankments and dams were built here to limit the scope of the lake as much as possible, which resulted in this result.

In order to manage and control these river embankments and dams, a town with military farms and embankment protection was built near the previous Songyuan City in the south of Chagan Lake.

Because it is located on the southeast bank of the corner of the canal and the lake embankment, the town is named Hudong Town.

Zhu Jingkun's motorcade drove into the compound of the Hudong Town Guard Station. Other servants and guards got off the vehicles to verify their identities and go through the temporary check-in registration procedures.

Then Xu Laosan drove the car that Zhu Jingkun was riding in to the door of the guest room. After parking the car, he turned back and reminded Zhu Jingkun:

"Your Highness, don't be in a hurry to get off the car. It should be very cold outside in the northeast. Your Highness, please change into two thick clothes first. Wait for the guards to check the room before you get off and go directly into the house."

Zhu Jingkun actually already knew this. The further north he went, the colder it got.

Every time I got off the bus to rest and stretch my body, I could feel it was colder than last time. It would probably be freezing cold when we reached our destination.

Zhu Jingkun didn't need to get out of the car directly now. He could already feel the cold air outside through the car window.

Zhu Jingkun was not very afraid of the cold. The temperature in Shuntian Prefecture could sometimes drop below minus ten degrees Celsius in winter. Zhu Jingkun was worried that his father might dislike him.

In the report on my trip to Europe that I wrote when I came back from Europe, there was a hint of admiration for Europeans.

My father didn't seem very happy at that time, and now I have been assigned to the worst place.

In fact, Zhu Jingkun is just the eldest prince and his mentality is too sensitive.

According to Zhu Jianxuan's plan, those who are now training in places with harsh environments will definitely be transferred to better places next time.

Now that we have gone to a place with a comfortable environment, we will later go to a place with a harsh environment to experience life.

Zhu Jingkun and other guards finished checking the room before putting on their fur coats at the servant's reminder. After getting off the car, they went straight into the house.

The military town of the garrison has its own small-scale heating system. The best solution for a prince like Zhu Jingkun is to have heating supply so that he won't feel cold when he enters the house.

Perhaps because of regulations, local officials did not dare to come to meet him. Zhu Jingkun was happy to have the peace and quiet, otherwise he would have no chance to rest at all.

Zhu Jingkun stayed in Hudong Town for another day and set out again on the third morning.

This time the convoy drove all the way to its destination, Fanliuzha Town next to the main stream of the Songhua River. Like Hedong Town, it was a small town formed around a military settlement.

Zhu Jingkun's position in Niliuzha Town is deputy director of the town's Jinyiwei Police Station, and his rank is the ninth grade.

The actual work is similar to that of a grassroots police captain, which is to arrange security patrols, mediate conflicts between residents and neighbors, and arrest low-level criminals who steal.

More serious crimes are not under the jurisdiction of the police station, but are directly under the jurisdiction of the Jinyi Uniform Service, the corresponding county-level agency.

But Zhu Jingkun is a prince after all, and the eldest prince.

Moreover, according to Zhu Jianxuan's order, when the prince reports to the training destination, he must say hello to the local officials in charge.

The officials of Niliuzha Town did not wait for the eldest prince to come and see them, but gathered in advance under the pretext of a meeting and greeted him at the gate of the courtyard of the garrison.

So when he, the director, came to report, all the major officials including the commander of the garrison and the division commander came.

After Zhu Jingkun's car stopped, he got out wrapped in a big fur coat and put on a hat made of the same fur coat. Only his face was exposed, but he still felt the cold wind blowing.

Zhu Jingkun didn't want to stand outside. Although the local officials had adapted to the climate, they did not dare to let the prince continue to freeze outside.

They exchanged just two or three words of greeting when they met, and then quickly surrounded Zhu Jingkun and entered the lobby.

When they got into the heated house, everyone introduced themselves to each other and confirmed Zhu Jingkun's future job.

(End of this chapter)